Baby Mine
by Always Hopeful
Summary: ONE SHOT! COMPLETE! Just a little one shot showing Albus and Minerva's wonderful parenting skills.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter or the song. I wish that I could say honestly that I did own either, but I cannot say so. Oh well, at least I can dream.**

**A/N: I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to continue any of my stories. I mean, I know _where_ I want to go, but the execution is, as Princess Mia might say, a little elusive. So I am sorry to say that I am forced to post this one shot. I wanted to write something but like I said, nothing good was coming out for my other stories. I would update them, but then you guys would get mad at me because the updates would be horrible. You know how that is, right? LOL! Well, I hope that you guys like this story.**

**Baby Mine…**

It was quite possibly the hottest July Albus Dumbledore could remember in all of his one hundred years on this earth. It seemed the heat knew no time, for it was ten o' clock in the evening and he could still feel the perspiration drip from his forehead as he made his way down the stone laid path to the summer house he shared with his wife of two years now, Minerva McGonagall.

He smiled at the irony of it all. It seemed since she was eleven, they had had some sort of relationship. He had somehow in the past few decades gone from teacher to mentor and finally to husband. It never ceased to amaze him how such a relationship could have been built. Shaking his head, he turned the knob on the small cottage door and entered it.

No lights were on, as far as he could tell. With a wave of his hand, lights turned on and the fire which had been roaring in the fireplace now dimmed to mere ashes in the hearth. He looked around. Where was his young wife?

He turned his attention to the staircase. He heard a soft voice floating down to his ears and he smiled. He knew where she was, and he made no hesitation to follow that voice. It was the sweet voice of his Minerva. He made his way up the stairs of the warm cottage, which was decorated with warm Gryffindor colors. When he reached the top of the stairs, he took a left and made the last few steps to the door in front of him. It was slightly ajar and there was light emitting from it. He carefully and silently opened the door. It swung inward and he saw her: Minerva McGonagall, nay Dumbledore, with her back turned to him in a rocking chair. She was rocking back and forth in the warmth of the nursery, rocking their baby girl, Athena Dumbledore, to sleep. She sang beautifully.

"_Baby mine, don't you cry.  
Baby mine, dry your eyes.  
Rest your head close to my heart  
Never to part, baby of mine."_

A small smile graced his lips. He loved these moments, when she would allow her usually stern façade to slip and allow the real her to be seen. Very few had seen that side of her, and Albus was glad that he was one of them. And as she rocked their baby, who was no more than a year old, he leaned against the doorway. She stopped singing long enough to speak.

"Why do you stand there in the doorway like that?" she asked, not lifting her gaze from Athena, whose eyes were drooping heavily. Albus chuckled.

"I'm afraid, my dear, that your animagus form allows you to hear too much," he replied playfully as he pushed himself from the doorway and lazily walked to her side. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before pressing a kiss to his fingers and placing said fingers upon the head of his daughter. When she began to stir slightly and appeared to begin to fuss once again, Minerva continued her rocking and singing.

Ooooooooooo

_Five years later…_

A small girl with long, ebony hair and blue eyes burst through the doors of her mother's office. Once again, it was summer, but Minerva was busy creating the schedule for the next term. She looked up swiftly as her office door was flung open and her daughter flew in.

"Mama, mama, mama!" she cried. Minerva could see the young girl had tears in her eyes. She stood and met her daughter half way.

"Athena, whatever is the matter, my dear?" she asked as the young girl flew into her arms. The little girl clung to her mother.

"The other children were being mean to me again," she whined. She sniffed once again. Minerva hugged her tighter. It seemed that Athena, with all her pure kindness and love, seemed to be the spurn for most hate upon the playground. She did have friends. She probably had even more friends than Minerva did at her age. But nevertheless, children could be cruel, a fact that Minerva knew very well. Minerva held her face between her hands.

"Oh, Athena," she said in a warm voice. "You must not listen to those other children. You are a wonderful young girl, and there is nothing they can say which can change that fact. Do you understand me?" The small girl nodded and Minerva smiled, wiping away the tears from the girl's cheeks. She then pulled the girl onto her lap and sat there, on the floor, hugging her child. Once again, she began rocking back and forth and sang a song which came to Athena as a source of comfort.

"_Little one, when you play  
Pay no heed what they say.  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine  
Never a tear, baby of mine."_

When Minerva set the girl on her way, she smiled as she watched the small girl. When the girl was out of sight, strong arms wrapped around her, and she leaned back against the chest of the man she loved so much.

"Well done, Tabby," he said. "Well done."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I love you Albus."

"I love you too, Min," he said, kissing her neck. "You are undoubtedly the best mother I've seen in a long while." Minerva smiled as he held her tighter. "You know she's a lot like you when you were younger. Teased by many, known by few, but loved by all." Minerva smiled as she turned in his arms and rested her own around his neck.

"As long as we are both loved by you, who needs anything else?" she smiled, kissing him soundly. When she rested her head against his chest, he began to sing a verse which always seemed to remind him of her when she was a young child.

"_If they knew all about you,  
They'd end up loving you, too.  
All those same people who scold you  
What they'd give just for the right to hold you."_

Ooooooooooo

"Push, Min, push!" commanded Poppy Pomfrey, some months later. It had been almost a year since that incident in her office, and Minerva was in labor with her second child.

"Oh, the pain is so horrible," breathed Minerva.

"I know it is, Min, but you still have to push. You can't stop here," Poppy coached. Albus agreed, as he held her hand. He was so happy and proud of being a new father. But he also hated seeing her in pain, so he massaged her back and continued to assure her all would be fine if she would just push. And Minerva did, knowing that she had to push for the baby. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a beautiful baby boy was born, just as healthy as a baby could be. Little Bryan Dumbledore had come into the world, and no one could be happier. Well, except, perhaps…

"Athena! Athena, come back here!" called Pomona Sprout as she chased after the little girl. But Athena was not to be stopped. Instead, she just continued to bounce into the room.

"I heard a cry, is that my baby brother? Ooh, what's he like? What's he like?" Albus had to laugh at her quick questioning, as did Minerva. She was leaning against her pillow, panting and sweating quite profusely. Poppy brought Bryan around to his mother and she held out her arms eagerly to hold him. She pulled him close to her, kissed his forehead, and smiled. Athena jumped onto the bed beside her, forcing Albus to relinquish his spot. He did, but only because he knew how eager Athena was to meet her new sibling. She smiled, kissed her baby brother, who just looked at her, and then frowned. She looked at her mother.

"Mummy," she said. Minerva looked at her.

"Yes, darling?" she asked.

"You don't love Bryan more than me, do you?" Minerva frowned as she looked at Athena.

"Look at me, Athena," she said. Athena did. "I don't ever want you to think that I love him over you, just like I never want him to think that I love you more than him. You are both very dear to me, and so very close to my heart. I love you both so very much, as does your father. Just because your brother might require a little more attention now and again does not mean we will no longer have time for you. Do you understand that?" Athena nodded, then wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Will I still be able to sit on your lap, mum?" she asked. Minerva smiled.

"Of coarse, my dear," she replied. "You may sit on my lap whenever you feel like it." She looked up warmly at Albus, whose heart burst with pride. "Care to hold your son?" Without second thought or hesitation, Albus went over and picked up his son. He marveled at the sheer beauty of the child. Athena looked at her father.

"How about you, da'?" Albus smiled at her.

"You don't even have to ask, Kitty," he said. He had long since taken to calling her Kitty, for she reminded him so much of her mother. She smiled, jumped up, and hugged her father. Or, rather, she hugged his leg. He smiled and carefully patted her head before reclaiming his hold on his son. She looked up at him.

"May I hold him, da'?" she asked. He looked at Minerva, who smiled.

"Very well," he said. He motioned to a nearby chair and she sat down. She reached out as he carefully placed her brother into her arms. "Now, be careful. And if you need help or get tired, let me know, okay?"

"Alright, Daddy," she assured him. She held her brother and laughed. "He's heavy." Albus nodded.

"He is, isn't he?" he smiled. She looked at Bryan.

"And when he cries, do you know what I'll do, mum?" she asked.

"What's that, dear?" Minerva inquired sleepily, her head upon her pillow.

"I'll sing to him." And with that, Athena began to sing the same song Minerva had sung to her.

"_From your hair down to your toes  
You're not much, goodness knows.  
But, you're so precious to me  
Sweet as can be, baby of mine."_

**A/N2: So, what do you guys think? Good? Bad? I thought it might be a nice diversion from focusing solely on the coupling (no matter how fun that is) and to focus on, perhaps, their parenting skills. I'll update as soon as possible, I promise. I just need inspiration. LOL! Any suggestions? Always Hopeful**


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